Unconventional Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving (with the big feast) a week early 

(since Phil had to work on Thanksgiving day).

 On Thursday, the 15th, Phil smoked a turkey for 9.5 hours.  It was perfect!!!

 My parents were in town, so feasted with them.  It was the first time in years that we had Thanksgiving with family.

On the real Thanksgiving Day, we went to Busch Gardens to "be with" Daddy.  It was a beautiful day, and the park wasn't very busy, so we had a GREAT time!

 Clare and Isaac had fun on the rides!

 I had fun watching my kiddos have fun...

and not sweating from head to toe like we usually do at Busch.

 Isaac LOVED seeing the Sesame characters!

 Clare played a game (thank you, Papa) and won an Octopus.

 Not too hard to win considering the competition.  :)

An unexpected highlight of the day 

was when Clare got to help prepare snacks for the hyenas. 

 She rolled meatballs in the kitchen of the animal hospital.  

 Isaac was happy to sit back and watch...

as long as he had his sunglasses and sucker.

 We walked past Santa on our way out of the park, and his lap was open and ready.  I didn't even know that he was in the park, but the kids thought it was pretty fun.

Santa told Clare a story (see video clip below) about why kids can't have everything that they ask for on Christmas.

Isaac Turns 2

 Isaac turned 2 on November 9th

It was a special day for many reasons!

 He woke up to the surprise of balloons all around the house (little video snippet above) AND the arrival of Papa and Mema from Michigan.  It was almost as if he just didn't know what to do with himself...as if he wanted to say, "What did I do to deserve balloons AND Papa and Mema on the same day?!"

Isaac LOVES Elmo.

I think the same could be said for most 2-year-olds, so I should clarify that Isaac is absolutely obsessed with Elmo.  He has a pair of Elmo socks and two Elmo shirts, thus ensuring that he is wearing at least one article of Elmo paraphernalia EVERY DAY.

Clare and I made some fun little Elmo Cakes for the Birthday Boy,

and they were a hit!

For a second, Clare thought they might be too cute to eat.

 She quickly abandoned that train of thought and got right to business!

Isaac never gave it a second thought...he dove in without a moment's hesitation!

As previously mentioned, our little Elmo Groupie insists on wearing Elmo at all times.  Now, with his new Elmo slippers and two pair of Elmo pajamas (thank you, Papa and Mema), he will literally be one with Elmo 24/7!

 We had fun celebrating our lively little birthday boy, and the entire day was special.  He got a smoothie from McDonalds (thank you, Papa) before going to the park for most of the morning.  We then went to Chuck E. Cheese as a family and let him run around and play on the rides.  It should be noted that I beat Phil in Ski-ball three times in a row.  He devoured a few platefuls of salmon (one of his favorite foods) for his birthday feast, and then he opened presents after making a mess of his Elmo cake.
Perfect day in the eyes of a new 2-year-old!

 Height - 37 inches = Off The Chart

Weight - 32 pounds = 90th percentile

Head Circumference - 20 inches = 90th percentile
He is a proportionately big guy!

Isaac is energetic, outdoorsy, adventurous, and perceptive.  He still isn't talking in sentences, but we all know exactly what he wants (and vice versa).
Isaac LOVES: Elmo (pretty obvious), Veggie Tales, Noodles with butter and Parmesan cheese, Salmon, Hot Wheels, Driving the green cart at Publix, Smoothies, Playing Outside, Taking his socks and shoes off and then insisting to have them back on (over, and over, and over), Riding his Tricycle, Playing at The YMCA, Popsicles,
and ANYONE who gives him undivided attention.
Isaac Dislikes: Sharing, Trying unfamiliar food, When Clare takes something from him, Not being able to communicate clearly (this may actually be higher on Mommy's dislike list than on Isaac's), When I won't let him wear his Elmo socks (because they smell like vinegar), Drinking plain water, Time outs, Getting his hair cut, Sitting quietly in church...or anywhere, Being told "No."

Now that he is two, it seems inappropriate to call him my baby.  However, this little guy melts our hearts just like the day he was born.

We LOVE You, Isaac John!

Forts and Castles

Castles and Forts

Every kid's dream, right?!

Thankfully, we have a big kid in this house who is really good at building them.

The fort in the living room consisted of a few tables 

and every spare blanket in the house.

 The kids (you can see that all three of them are in there) LOVED it!  :)

Fort-O-Fun

This video is totally unrelated to forts or castles, but it shows the little monkeys dancing without knowing that we were watching.  Kind of cute...especially when they start "singing" at the end.

The Castle was another special project!

 This brought me joy for many reasons:

1. I loved seeing them all work "together."

2. I loved watching their excitement build as the castle took shape.

3. I was super productive inside the house when they were outside the house.

Isaac...the helper boy...

 ...or perhaps not.

Clare worked on decorating the castle the following day.

Clare is now princess of her own kingdom 

as the castle has taken home in her bedroom.

Fall Festival x4

Fall in Florida isn't like Fall in Michigan.

It doesn't come with beautiful trees changing colors (more like a continuation of June, July, and August...simply with more allergens in the air), it doesn't come with picking apples at the local orchards (more like paying $4/pound for Honeycrisp apples at the grocery store), and it doesn't come with nice, cool weather.  

It does, however, come with lots of family fun.

Fall Festival #1

Clare was a princess at the first Fall Festival of the season.

 Isaac and Daddy stayed home during this party, 

thus making it Phil's favorite of all the parties.  :)

 We met with the MOMS Club, and Clare had a BLAST!

Fall Festival #2

Clare was Tinkerbell, and Isaac was Superman.

Clearly, Clare was VERY EXCITED!

 And Isaac couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

 He has no idea who Superman is, 

nor does he have ANY desire to sit still for ANY photo. 

 Fall Festival #2 was at First United Methodist Church 

(where we occasionally attend and where Clare goes to school).

 This was the beginning of the candy madness!

 It was also during this series of Trunk-or-Treating that I realized I needed to do a better job of training my kids to grab chocolate rather than Smarties and Dumdums.

With a little help from Mr. Heath Bar, Lady Butterfinger, and Sir Snickers,
my handsome husband survived the crowds of the festival.

Superman in flight!

Tinkerbell in flight!

Fall Festival #3 was at Clare's school on the morning of Halloween.

(Daddy was at work, and Isaac was in the play center for younger siblings.)

All of the kids were instructed to dress as farmers or cowboys, 

and they had a parade around the school.

 They played several different games as a class, 

and they filled yet another bag with treats.

Fall Festival #4 was at Bell Shoals Baptist Church

(This is where I've attended Bible study for the past 3.5 years.)

There were thousands (no exaggeration) of people at this festival, and the kids got candy from at least 50 cars.  Isaac stayed entertained by eating one sucker after another, and Clare was on her best behavior knowing that it resulted in LOTS of candy. 

 They both fell asleep on the way home, and Phil and I binged as if we were still eight-year-olds with a heaping bag full of fresh candy. I think we have a big enough stash to last until next year's series of Fall Festivals!  :)